Means for avoidance of side oscillations of monorail cars



Nov. 16 1926.

F. KRUCKENBERG MEANS FOR AVOIDANCE OF SIDE OSCILLATIONS OF MONORAIL CARS Fil ed Jan. 24. 1925 Patented Nov. 16,

H re STATS. PATENT FRANZ KRUCKENBERG, or HEIDELBERG, GERMANY.

' ,MEANS non AVOIIDANCE or SIDE oscrLLATIoNs or MONORAIL CARS.-

Application filed January2 4, 1925, Serial No.4,577, and in Germany May 15,1924.

In propelling high speed cars in tunnels, particularly with 'monorailways, when the clearance between the car and the wallet the tunnel diminishes a reduction of pressureis experienced on. account of the velocity of the air. The pressure varies with the square of the speed. Consequently the car experiences a suckingelfect from the tunnel'wall.

If the car isnot equidistant from either wall of the tunnel for any reason, such as on ose cillat-ion-due to a change of directlon of the track or unsymmetrical load or is running in a double track-tunnel, the danger exists,

that the car may bedrawn against one of the tunnel walls.

Fig. 1 shows the tunnel section 1, with the car 2 of a suspension railway. Should the car for any reason have reached the position 3, the air pressure at 4 is much'less than at 5 and the side swinging of the-car will be consequentlyf increased, until it is possible,

that the car will strike the tunnel wall and be destroyed.

In order to avoid such an accident we must make the tunnel section sufficiently great and give the supporting rail 6 a suitable position as in Fig. 2. The small, easily produced oscillations can however be increased by the sucking action of the nearer wall of the tunnel and cause oscillations about the middleposition, which would be, unendurable for the passengers. The solution of these difliculties as shown in Fig. 3 consists in forming the tunnel section in such a way,- and placing the rail in such a position, that, theclea'rance between the car and the floor of the tunnel at 8 in the vertical section 9 is much smaller, than the clearance at the sides. Atthe lower part ofthe car there exists therefore a sucking force, which ina small deviation lO-of the car from the center line '9 does not act in the line ofsupport 6, and so increasesthe gravitational moment by the returning momentproduced by a suitable diminishing of 1 the section at 8,.so that the suckingoi the tunnel wall is neutralized or exceeded.

In Fig. 4 the same case is shown for a double track tunnel. Here the clearances between the cars and the right and left hand wall of the tunnel are very difl'erent. In order to neutralize in this case the suction of the walls, the air-stream section for' each car can be diminished by a center wall 11,

. the bridge.

is nearest to the floor of the caratxS and prevents the air stream from moving [downwards. Inthe case of thecars hanging below a bridge, this floor orplatform 14 can be replacedby the ground itselfor by a conagainst'atmospheric influences the conditions are the same, as'shown in Figs. 3 and 4, further description of which is unnecessary.

The above description can also apply in the case of'monorailways with gyroscopic stabilization, the. effect of gravity must be replaced in the descriptionby the gyroscopic;

effect and the upward and downward directions be inverted; also for other high speed railways wherever severe side oscillations are possible.

What 'I claim is: 1. A; high. speed railway system having means forpreventing oscillations of the cars comprising a ridge-like elevation extending into proximity to the path of travelof the bottom ofthe car whereby at high speed suction is produced on the car and oscillations are restrained. v r

2., A high speed railway system as claimed in, claim l comprising a' tunnel or tube-like construction, in'which the clearance between the car and the wall of the tunnel is relatively small.'

struction'on the ground or an extension of If the bridge is covered in 3. A high: speed railway double track tun- L00 7 I path oftravel of the bottom of thelcar 7 whereby at highspeed suction is produced on the car and oscillations are restrained,

and having a-wall extending upwardly between the tracks.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

. FnANz KRUcKE BEas. 

